Hardin Co. judge is ready to slow down, raise longhorns

Billy Caraway talks about his small herd of 12 longhorns, including two calves, while at his ranch Tuesday afternoon. Caraway has served as Hardin County judge for the last 16 years but will soon be passing off the torch to Judge-elect Wayne McDaniel. He intends to look after investment properties and tend to the long horns on his ranch in his retirement.
Photo taken Tuesday 11/11/14
Jake Daniels/The Beaumont Enterprise less

Billy Caraway talks about his small herd of 12 longhorns, including two calves, while at his ranch Tuesday afternoon. Caraway has served as Hardin County judge for the last 16 years but will soon be passing off ... more

Photo: Jake Daniels

Photo: Jake Daniels

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Billy Caraway talks about his small herd of 12 longhorns, including two calves, while at his ranch Tuesday afternoon. Caraway has served as Hardin County judge for the last 16 years but will soon be passing off the torch to Judge-elect Wayne McDaniel. He intends to look after investment properties and tend to the long horns on his ranch in his retirement.
Photo taken Tuesday 11/11/14
Jake Daniels/The Beaumont Enterprise less

Billy Caraway talks about his small herd of 12 longhorns, including two calves, while at his ranch Tuesday afternoon. Caraway has served as Hardin County judge for the last 16 years but will soon be passing off ... more

Photo: Jake Daniels

Hardin Co. judge is ready to slow down, raise longhorns

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Billy Caraway wants to sit on his front porch with a cup of coffee and watch longhorn bulls graze on his pasture.

Caraway, who turned 74 Sunday, will conclude his 16th and final year as Hardin County Judge on Dec. 31.

Caraway unseated two-term incumbent Judge Tom Mayfield in 1997. Before that, he was the county's tax assessor-collector, owned a restaurant for 15 years and spent more than a decade in the state comptroller's office. Now, he welcomes a slower pace.

"All of those years were under high pressure," Caraway said. "Basically I'm looking forward to the fact that I'm not totally, absolutely committed to anything, that I can adjust my schedule without getting in trouble."

Rather than seek re-election to a fifth term, Caraway announced his retirement a year early. He supported former sheriff's office Capt. Wayne McDaniel Jr., who collected 87 percent of the vote in last week's election.